Modern Love
by Admiral T. DeVanto
Summary: In a modern timeline, safe from Titans and death itself, four unlikely yet well known couples get to experience what it is like to love freely and live normal lives. Modern AU.


**Bertholdt and Ymir**

"So," Ymir exclaimed, collapsing on the park bench right beside Bertholdt. She let out a loud sigh, falling back. Bertholdt, who was sitting calmly on the bench, lifted the book he was reading just as Ymir's head hit his lap.

He grinned in amusement as he went back to his reading. "So?" he prompted.

"So, I've got this jerk of a boyfriend," she started. "Who seems to find books much more interesting then my company."

"Is that so?" he hummed, disinterested as he turned the next page of his book.

"Yep," she said simply. She pushed the book away from him, causing Bertholdt to look down at her with a small grin.

"I think it is about time that you get rid of him then," Bertholdt said as Ymir held his book captive.

"I would," she said. "But then he's always such a dork and sends me such stupid texts and emails everyday."

"Ah," Bertholdt said with a nod. "So he's sweet."

"He's a dork," she said simply, rolling her eyes. "I cute, awkward dork. He sends me chocolates on Valentines, and then I'm stuck trying to shed the five pounds I gained off from all those sweets! He wakes me up early in the morning with a text to say 'good morning'."

"And to tell you that you're a beautiful sass," he reminded.

"Even on the weekends!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, then you should still dump him," Bertholdt said casually. "It sounds like he is just dragging you along."

"I'm the one dragging him along," Ymir commented. "To the movies, to lunch, to coffee." She shot him a look, eyes narrowed. He simply stared at her with a wry grin.

"Maybe we should move indoors," he commented, pulling his coat around himself tighter as the wind blew. "It's getting a bit chilly."

She shook her head, strands of brown hair coming out of her loose ponytail. "Nah. I'm comfortable."

"Your boyfriend might get jealous," Bertholdt commented.

"Eh, let him," she said with a sniff. "I'll make it up to him by dragging him to another one of those horror movies."

"Why not try a chick flick instead?" he asked, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

"Because the only romance I am interested in is my own," she commented. "I hate having to watch some chick moon over this guy and pine for him. Then there are elaborate ways that these movies have the characters express their love to each other for the first time. It's all awkward for the stupid couple at first." She grinned. "I bluntly told my guy that I liked him when I expressed my feelings. No words were spared."

"Then you dragged him to a movie and said it was a date," he commented, scrolling through his contacts. "Then at the end of the movie, you kissed him and told him you were now a couple as he stood before you rigged."

She smirked. "I think I scared him," she said.

"You did," Bertholdt said, settling on an emoji on his phone. "He was stiff as a bored throughout the whole movie." He hit the 'send' button on his phone with a small smile. "That was two years ago."

She looked up at him thoughtfully. "Do you think he regrets it? Me dragging him everywhere?"

At that moment, her phone chimed, signaling that she had received a text. Grumbling, she pulled out her phone to look and see who was messaging her. Her expression remained bored as she opened the message before she looked up at him slyly. "You dork," she said, showing her phone with the emoji hearts in the message box.

He grinned, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Does that answer your question?"

"I don't know," she said. "Kiss me again like a proper boyfriend and we'll see."

 **Reiner and Historia**

"Alright, enough!" Reiner exclaimed as he tried to pull the toddler off of him. But just as he removed one child, another would jump on him.

"You're big," the little girl pointed out when he was sent to his knees from the weight of two giggling kids.

He met her solid stare. "Really?" he said with a smirk.

She nodded shyly, sucking her thumb as she stared at him.

He sighed tiredly, resigning himself to his fate. "Well, if I'm big, I can fit one more on my back," he muttered.

The girl let out a happy squeak as she scrambled up on him, the other children urging him on as their 'horesy.'

He sighed, trudging on through the nursery with his little riders on his back, their happy shrieks of delight echoing in the room.

Children ran around happily in the room, playing and making a mess as they pulled toys out of boxes while volunteers tended to them.

"Alright!" Reiner proclaimed when they came to a padded play area. "Time for the horse to rest."

"No," one stubborn little boy said, bouncing on Reiner's back.

"Oh yes," Riner said, rising up and shaking them off. Their excited shrieks caused him to grin as they fell off and into the padded play area. One little girl still clung to his neck, giggling and kicking her feet.

"I can't breath!" he said dramatically, falling to the ground. "Goddess!" he proclaimed, reaching for Historia. "Help me, I pray thee!"

Historia giggled as she bounced one little boy on her hip. "No," she said with a grin. "I think you're doing just fine."

"My goddess has left me to the little devils," Reiner said, falling to the ground with the little girl still holding him.

"Why do you call Miss Reiss 'goddess'?" the little girl questioned.

"Because she is a goddess," Reiner said with a grin, though the blond he was speaking of did not hear his comment, much to his disappointment.

"Reiner Braun and Historia Reiss," a lady called, sticking her head through the open door. "You are both needed for the newborns."

"The newborns?" Reiner said, blinking.

"The newborns!" Historia squealed happily, dashing out of the rooms and forgetting her shoes. It was a policy for volunteers to remove their shoes upon entering a room to tend with the children. Every time they came, Reiner got to see Historia's adorable socks that seemed to fit her personality so well.

Today, she had pink socks with pink, sparkly stars on them.

He chuckled as he followed her, but his mirth soon died as he found himself awkwardly holding a crying baby the minute he stepped into the newborns room.

He awkwardly pat the baby's back, grimacing as the child continued to wail. All other volunteers were attending to other baby's, who seemed calm at the moment. He gritted his teeth. Why did he get stuck with the crying one? What was he doing wrong that made this baby scream so loudly?

"Here," Historia said with an understanding smile as she took ahold of the baby once she had set her own sleeping tot down. She sniffed the baby, wrinkling her nose. "Well, her diaper is clean. Maybe she's hungry," she chooed to the baby as she prepared the bottle.

Historia seemed to thrive in this atmosphere. She always lit up whenever she was around children, and she happily worked with them.

At this moment, as she sat down to feed the baby in a rocking chair, she looked angelic.

" _Gotta marry her,"_ he thought.

He sat down right next to her, watching as the baby's eyes fluttered closed as it sucked the bottle, one hand clinging to Historia's shirt. "You're amazing," he said.

She smiled, eyes not leaving the baby. "I just have a knack for children," she confessed. "I want a big family one day, with a nice little cottage and a large field for them to play in. There will be so many toys for them to play with, and the house will be filled with their laughter."

"Sounds like an amazing dream," he stated. He looked at her. "Why not make it a reality?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "A reality?" she repeated, shocked.

"I'll build you a cottage, with many rooms for you and the children," he said. "It will be placed in a large meadow for them to play in. You will be supplied with all of the activities to be a mother for your children. I will make sure of it. Of course," here, he smirked at her. "We would have to get married first."

She gasped, smiling. "Could we have five children?" she asked.

"As many as you want," he promised.

She squealed happily, nearly jostling the baby in her happiness. "Then I want seven! Yes! I'll marry you!"

Reiner grinned, already knowing that the plans she was making did not involve any wedding dresses or plans, but a shopping spree at the store for baby clothes.

"I saw these adorable tuxedos for newborn babies!" she gushed happily. "And I also saw this matching tutu for a little girl!"

Any child of hers would be an angel sent directly from heaven. He would be married to an angel, and the father of angels.

Not a bad life to live.

 **Jean and Mikasa**

Jean pulled his coat tighter around him, scowling as he stood outside the store, ringing a bell tiredly.

"How much did you make?" Eren asked, coming over with his gloved hands in his pockets.

Jean glared. "Go back to your post, Yeager," he growled.

"Armin and I ran out of candy bars to give out on our side of the store," Eren said, rifling through the bin. His eyes widened as he frowned. "Fifty dollars?" Eren demanded, looking up at him in shock. "You only made fifty bucks in the past hour?"

"It's been slow," he grumbled.

"Try to smile," Mikasa said, standing beside him with the bucket of money.

"I am smiling!" Jean exclaimed. "My face feels like it's going to fall off any moment now. These people have no sympathy for the needy, and that includes me. I am in _need_ of some warmth!"

"Armin and I made two hundred dollars," Eren said unhelpfully.

"Go back to your post," Jean grumbled, pulling his coat around himself tighter.

"Smiling would make them give more," Mikasa said once Eren was gone. Jean was still unsure how he had gotten dragged into this charity business. But as he was paired up with Mikasa, he deduced it wasn't all bad. Yet the past hour had been filled with nothing but stiff silence, and Jean had ceased trying to come up with any more good pick up lines around her.

Somehow he doubted she would catch the meaning of "You have really beautiful black hair" like the last time. So outright asking her out on a date was probably doomed to fail in the first place.

But it was true. She did have really beautiful black hair. His eyes flickered over to see her push a strand of said black hair behind her ear, the dark color standing out against her pale skin and the red scarf she always wore.

"You should grow your hair out," he blurted suddenly, a faint blush growing on his cheeks. On the bright side, at least his face and ears were warm now when she turned her inquisitive gaze to him. "Um, I mean," he coughed. "I think you look nice with short hair. But long hair looks nice...too," he trailed off with another awkward cough. "I like your black hair," he mumbled, ringing the bell a little louder as if to drown out his embarrassment.

"Are you sick?" she asked blankly.

He blinked. Oh no. Now she thought he was a sick pervert! "What? No! It was just an observation! I like your hair short too, I just think you should try growing it out because it frames your face. Not that I've been staring at your pretty face and your-yes you're pretty. A lot of girls are, it's just..." He coughed once more, now completely flushed as he pulled his jacket closer. "It's just cold," he muttered.

He could feel Mikasa's heavy stare on him, and he found that he could not move as he was rooted to the spot. He weakly held the bucket out to a passing lady, asking for a donation. He was ignored, as usual.

The sound of Mikasa finally putting her bucket and bell down reached his ears, and he turned to watch her leave and enter into the store.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Wait to go Jean! You finally got through to her. But not in the way you wanted at all! Nope! You got through to her in a creepy way!"

"Excuse me sir," an elderly man said, holding out his wallet. "I would-"

"Make a donation to the homeless and needy you selfish old croon!" Jean shouted, shoving the bucket in the man's face. "And here! Have a candy bar!" He flicked the candy at the stuttering man, who dropped the ten dollar bill in the bucket before scrambling off.

Jean grumbled as he kicked at the candy bar on the ground, glancing at the pathetic amount of money he had gained so far. Boy, Eren was not going to let him live this down.

"Jean," a very familiar and angelic voice said to him, causing him to spin around with wide eyes. Mikasa stood before him, holding out a cup of steaming coffee and a simple, aqua green scarf.

"Here," she said, handing him the coffee and stepping close to him. He froze up as she wrapped the scarf around his neck, tucking at in and nodding with satisfaction as her gloved hands brushed against his neck. "That should keep you warm so that you don't catch a cold."

He blinked, cheeks still pink at how close she was standing to him. "A-a cold?" he repeated.

"You were coughing and red in the face," she said blankly as she picked up her bucket and bell once more. She glanced at him. "In fact, you're still a bit flushed."

"No!" he said quickly. "I'm good," he said, quickly sipping the burning hot coffee, scalding his mouth and tongue. He tried not to wince as the painful liquid slid down his throat. "I'm fine now."

She hummed thoughtfully, accepting a donation from a young couple. "When we are done, we can go get some hot chocolate then."

Jean could not stop smiling at that statement. He felt like he was going to burst! Mikasa had just asked him out! Well, maybe not out on a date, but still!

"Eren and Armin could use some hot chocolate too," she said, bringing his world crashing down.

"Of course Eren would come," he grumbled. Well, if he had any plans to marry Mikasa, then he might as well fit Eren somewhere in that plan. Maybe he could be the man slave.

As he fingered the soft scarf Mikasa had bought for him, he made a solemn promise to himself.

He was never taking this gift off.

 **Armin and Annie**

Annie looked up sharply when she felt someone pull her grey hoodie back as she walked down the sidewalk. She relaxed when she saw that it was Armin, who was smiling sheepishly at her while trying to place a daisy in her hair. "Hey," he said.

She grinned back. "Hey," she said.

"You, uh," he cleared his throat. "You need anymore help with those math problems?"

Annie shook her head. "No. I'm good." She hesitated. "But maybe we could meet over for coffee, just in case."

Armin beamed. "Okay," he said with a smile.

Annie had never thought she would have needed a math tutor, but she could not afford to have her grades slip. Armin had all too willingly stepped in to help her, and he had enjoyed her company. He was not put off by her stoic demeanor. In fact, he seemed to be one of the few who could read her. That had unsettled her, yet nothing had changed between them as they became study buddies.

Aside from the fact that they had begun dating a few months ago.

That had been an outcome she had never expected.

But it was an outcome she welcomed with open arms. She had been hesitant at first, but Armin was patient and willing. She wasn't even sure if they fit into the boyfriend/girlfriend category. Maybe just really close friends who liked to cuddle and kiss every so often? Was there even a name for people like that?

She reflected on those thoughts as she watched Armin pay for their coffee with a smile, his smile brightening when he approached her. It was times like this when Armin looked considerably younger than his age, not to mention there were times when he was mistaken for a girl, which annoyed him to no end.

She found it amusing.

"One pumpkin spice coffee, and one black with sweetened vanilla creamer," he announced, handing her a steaming coffee mug.

"I still like mine black with cream," she commented as she raised the coffee to her lips. It had been Armin who had convinced her to branch out a bit and get a sweetener in her coffee instead of just plain creamer. But that was where she drew the line.

He smiled. "Is there anyway I could convince you to try a pumpkin spice?" he asked.

"Nope," she answered as she sipped her coffee. Her eyes widened as the autumn spice hit her taste buds, and she nearly gagged. Her reaction earned a laugh from her traitorous blond boyfriend.

"Oops," he said with a innocent smile. "I think I got yours and mine mixed up." He turned his coffee around to display the name 'Annie' written on it. "Would you like to try the pumpkin spice out?" he asked.

"Already did," she said as she swapped their mugs. "Whatever is in there is not pumpkin spice."

He glanced at his mug in confusion. "It's not?" He took a sip, looking thoughtful. He shrugged. "Well, whatever it is, I like it," he declared.

She hummed as they took a seat near a window, sipping her coffee quietly as she opened her math binder. Though she had no true intention of going over math problems, it was nice to glance at the numbers every so often.

Something slid in the corner of her vision, and she looked up to see Armin pass a neatly wrapped package to her.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, here. Happy anniversary."

She blinked. "Anniversary?" she repeated.

"Um, yeah," he said. "It's been two...months. You know."

"No, I don't know," she said calmly. "Why do we need an anniversary?" She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Who put you up to this?"

"Eren," he said quickly, blushing with embarrassment.

Her mouth twitched in amusement. "Well then, we don't need an anniversary," she said simply. "I like these simple dates."

He smiled. "Well, you might as well open it. If you want to that is," he said quickly.

But she was already opening her gift to see what was inside. "A barrett?" she asked, fingering the silver jeweled clip. It was simple, yet very pretty with a firm clasp. Effective, yet still elegant.

"Yeah," he said, reaching out and gently pushing her hair back, his fingers lightly touching her cheek. "So that you can hold you hair up."

She glanced at him with a frown. "Why?"

He blushed. "Because," he said quietly. "You have such a pretty face, yet you hide it behind your hair." He looked up quickly. "You have really nice hair!" He swallowed, cheeks pink. "But I like seeing your face."

She smiled. "But I like it when you push my hair back."

Armin blinked, his blush spreading. Yet he reached over to push her hair back once more. "Yeah, I like it too."


End file.
